Grinch Heart Cookies
Grinch Heart Cookies are magical little treats that you can make at Christmas with your kids. These are sugar cookies dyed green with a stained glass red heart in the middle. “Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.”
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GRINCH HEART COOKIES
I’m so excited to share these cookies with you. In fact, I made them a while ago and life got away from me before I could share them.
They are easy, magical cookies that would great for Christmas plates or preschool treats.
They are really simple. Just start with your favorite sugar cookie dough that doesn’t spread and dye it green. I really love Our Best Bites sugar cookies because they hold their shape.
Since we aren’t frosting these, you’ll want to make sure that the cookie is good all on its own. I love almond flavored cookies and these were great without frosting.
You could totally frost the outside of these if you want. I actually did a couple using a star tip but my kids gobbled them up before I could photograph them.
Next, cut a large heart with a smaller heart inside using cookie cutters. Next place a Jolly Rancher candy inside.
I found that the cherry flavor is the best red color as the strawberry is a little more pink. DON’T use any other candy. I’ve tried it and Jolly Ranchers definitely melt the best.
I only baked mine for 5-6 minutes because that was the perfect amount of time to melt the candy and to bake the cookie without starting to turn the cookie brown. Remember they will continue to bake on the cookie sheet while they cool.
To make the Grinch cookies you need two different sized heart shaped cookie cutters. You want the inside shape small but not so small that you can’t appreciate the beauty of the stained glass heart shape. I used these cookie cutters from Amazon but you can use any one you have.
Maybe you don’t want to do Grinch Cookies. No big deal. I dyed half of my sugar cookie dough green and left the other half white so I could make Stained Glass Cookies.
These are so much fun. I was afraid that using a whole Jolly Rancher would over fill the cookies so I crushed them up and filled them that way – didn’t work. It was just a mess. Using a whole Jolly Rancher turned out to be the best way.
The key to these is to let them completely cool on parchment after they have baked. These are right out of the oven and as you can see they are a little bubbly still.
These have cooled for a while and they have a sturdy center. Look how pretty they are.
I was a little embarrassed because our piano teacher was over and I was busy snapping pictures and couldn’t stop because they were just so pretty.
Make sure when you store them that you store them in between layers of parchment just so they don’t stick together.
They aren’t sticky at first but if you leave them for a couple of days at room temperature they will start to get sticky. Of course I live in humid and hot Florida so I’m sure they would be fine in drier climates.
When you have a bunch of Grinch hearts together they look magical!
OTHER CHRISTMAS RECIPES:
Grinch Heart Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups flour, do not overfill
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- green food coloring
- red Jolly Rancher candies, (cherry flavor - use other flavors for stained glass cookies)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and almond extract and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture. Mix until combined. It may take a bit to mix in.
- Mix in green food coloring to your desired color. I used about 10 drops. Chill dough until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface or in between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut a larger heart out first and then a smaller heart in the middle. Place a jolly rancher in the middle heart hole. It helps to actually cut the cookies out on the parchment paper you rolled them on so you don't have to move the dough.
- Bake cookies for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the cookie sheet. You can speed this up by popping them in the fridge.
- Once cooled, store cookies in between layers of parchment paper. You can also frost them with green frosting if desired.
Notes
This works well with crushed lifesavers or lollipops. Crushing them assures you fill in all the empty spaces. This works well with stained glass windows for gingerbread houses. Always crush your candies. Dollar stores sell a nice assortment of bagged candy for this purpose. They also sell cheap foil baking sheets and parchment sheets for easy cleanup and cookie removal.
I made these and they were all as pretty as the picture! Got lots of compliments. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome!
I found these were very difficult to make…out of 18 cookies, only 1 turned out even close to the picture. I struggled with baking cookies just long enuf to add the candy. Then the candy overcooked (I think) and I tried to get them off the pan when they all broke apart and the candy stuck to the pan.😪I obviously did something wrong…
I’m sorry not sure what went wrong
Hi!
These look amazing!
I would like to ask about the candy you us, as we don’t have such candy here in Hungary, I am trying to find one that could replace it.
Is this a hard or a chewy candy, or the kind that has a kind of jelly/jello like texture inside, which one would be the best option?
Thanks so much!!
Try using lifesavers candies I have used them also
You’ll want a hard chewy candy for best results.
these were super cute, thanks for posting!
You’re welcome!
Cookies are really good. But the jolly ranchers are really sticky to your teeth!
You might need to bake a little longer so they don’t stick.
Grinch heart cookies are pretty but not edible as the candy hardens back into a Jolly Rancher. Nearly broke a tooth. No stars
You’re not supposed to bite right down on the candy. It’s more for looks and you eat the outside.
Oh I agree we don’t eat Jolly rancher’s. They are not good for your teeth
Hello! Is the dough a little crumbly and then rolls back together? Thank you!
Yes, it sounds like you have too much flour. Did you pack it in the measuring cups or spoon it in?
What was the measurement of the cookie cutters you use?
Sorry Nancy I emailed you. About 3 inch for the big and 1 for the inner.
What are the widths of the heart cookie cutters you used? My cutters are slightly different and I’m hoping to get the same yield (24) as your recipe. Thanks for your time!
How is the middle? Is it hard like the jolly rancher or is it soft because it’s melted?
Thanks
I have the same question.
After cooling they are hard. It was a relatively thin pane of hard candy, However, I used fairly large star cookie cutters so my center hole probably has more area than these hearts resulting in the thinner pane. They were easy and super fun to make.
Nope it’s hard!
My daughter teaches kindergarten and I will make these for her class this week.
Good luck!
Cute idea!
I made these as gifts for all my co-workers. Super cute idea.
YAY!!! That makes me happy!
I made these and sent them to all my grandkids and they LOVED them! SO fun!
Oh thank you!! My kids loved them too!